Pew poll: More than half of Latinos support same-sex marriage

For the first time, more than half of Latinos in the United States support same-sex marriage, according to a new Pew Research poll released Thursday. The poll also found that about seven in 10 registered Latino voters support President Obama, although his support is not as strong among evangelical Latinos.

Obama’s support among Latinos also dropped if they attended religious services more frequently.

The nationwide survey found that 52 percent of Latinos support same-sex marriage, while 34 percent oppose it. In 2006, the poll found 31 percent support and 56 percent opposition, and in 2009, 34 percent of Latinos supported such marriages while 44 percent were opposed.

Majorities of Hispanic Catholics (54 percent) and religiously unaffiliated Latinos (71 percent) said they favor same-sex marriage, while only 25 percent of evangelical Latinos said they support it, compared with 66 percent of them who opposed it.

Latinos of different religions had varying levels of support for Obama and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, the survey found.